Novus Ordo Seclorum
by LordOfEternalDark
Summary: My first real fan fic. Its pretty much what happens after the war. The beginning sux but stick with me. I'm tryin to wrap it aaround some serious action here. Try not to flame me too hard. Rated T for later chapters.
1. New Beginnings

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender**

**Tis is my first real fan-fic. Try not to flame me too much, savvy?

* * *

**

Appa groaned under Aang's feet. He had been flying since dawn and the 15 hour flight was nearing an end.

Aang, perched on top of Appa, squinted at the looming mountains with a sigh.

"Just a bit more buddy, then you can rest… You want to see them too, don't you?" Another groan rumbled from Appa. Aang laughed tiredly. "Yeah… It has been a while hasn't it?" He felt his eyes drooping. Momo was curled up in sleep on his lap.

"_Just…_" Sleep seemed too welcoming an option. "_A bit…"_ No, he had to be awake to meet with his friends… _"More…"_ He succumbed to his primal sense of euphoric dreaming.

* * *

_It was two weeks since the second invasion. Aang had been found injured in the crumbling palace. The fire lord was next to him unconscious, defeated, but not dead. They were both dragged out before the palace fell. Since then, Aang had been through intense healing sessions. Under command of Zuko, Ozai had been treated lightly despite his heavy injuries. He was placed in a small metal cage, his indignant shouting reverberating throughout the heavily guarded cells. Had the freed earth kingdom generals had their way, the former fire lord would have died without a second option. Katara, knowing how Aang would feel about killing a fallen king, managed to persuade them to put off the decision till Aang revived._

_Katara was sleeping while sitting on the chair next to Aang's bed. Her head was resting on the blankets above his torso. Her left hand tightly clenched his; her right hand was resting under her head. Some stirring from Aang woke her up. He opened his eyes and blinked around stupidly for a few seconds. Looking around, he recognized the fire nation insignia emblazed on the heavy curtains blocking the window from view. The nightstand next to him had a beaker of water, his clothes all on a small chair next to it. Feebly sitting up, he was greeted with Katara hugging him tightly, knocking the little air out of him._

"_Oh, Aang… You're finally up…"_

_It took a moment to process what was happening. Then, he hugged Katara back with one arm, his other one unable to move under Katara's body. "Am I… What… Did we win?" Katara nodded, tears of joy flooding her eyes. Aang collapsed back onto the bed, giving a little groan as his head dropped onto the pillows. "That's a relief…" He said with a small sigh. His eyes looked up searchingly, a smile growing on his face. It wasn't long until he fell back asleep, Katara still grasping his hand._

_As Katara left the room, she found Sokka Toph and Zuko talking together in the small lounge. "How is he?" Sokka whispered, realizing that Katara came out._

"_He just woke," she replied, "but let him rest."_

"_The generals want an elective council regarding what we do with the prisoners soon," said Zuko, "and they're getting impatient."_

"_So?" Katara whispered back harshly. "He saved the world, brought down their greatest enemy, and deserves some rest! They owe him their skins, and all they can think of is getting him awake so they can murder Ozai? How can they be like that?" Her voice was getting treacherously high._

"_Nothing, just saying…" mumbled Zuko, quailing under Katara's wrath._

_Toph grinned. "I told you to watch what you say about Twinkle Toes near Sugar Queen." she said aloud, causing passing people to glare. A nurse came up to her and said "Keep quiet, can't you read the signs?" Looking straight at the nurse, Toph said "No." Embarrassed, the nurse hurried away, muttering about tending a patient. Turning her head back to Zuko's general direction, Toph continued, "Anyways, I told you to watch what you say about Twinkle Toes near Sugar Queen. She's been keeping crazy watch over him since he won you know. Almost like a protective penguin bear to her mate…"_

_Katara's dark skin turned a slight shade darker. "That doesn't mean anything…" she said looking away from Toph. _

_Sokka gave out a little snort. "That's why you wouldn't sleep anywhere too far from Aang, in case he might need your help right?"_

"_So? I'm just worried because he's injured.""_

"…_and also why you kept up with that AFTER we learned that Aang was in no immediate danger, right? If you wanted to be that caring, you could have devoted some time to my injuries you know…"_

_It was Katara's turn to snort. "You had a scratch on your finger."_

"_It looked infected!"_

"_Toph put some greenberry paste on it when you weren't paying attention so that it looked infected. Idiot."_

_As Sokka turned to Toph to reprimand her, Katara slipped away outside. Now that Aang was awake, things were only going to get complicated. Now that the throne went to Iroh, political reforms and such had to be taken care of. The Dai Lee, along with a small mottled group of firebenders were still under the command of Azula, although they were at the moment scattered. She sighed, wondering if the family she and Sokka had formed with Aang, Toph and Zuko would stay together. Zuko, of course, had to tend to the nation, Toph would most likely be sent back home, for the better or worse, and the siblings would most likely go home. She looked at the sunset; the sun's last rays were illuminating the white hospital, giving it a beautiful reddish pink hue. She would miss this back home in the South Pole. She wondered how much had changed the past year._

_She wanted to talk to Iroh. He always knew what to do. Unfortunately, he was in the middle of a political squabble._

_A figure fell out of the tree next to her. She rushed to help the man, and recognized it to be Iroh. "Oh, thank you very much" he said._

"_Aren't you supposed to be back at the Head House?" she asked. Since the collapse of the palace, the Head House was used for political debates._

"_Oh, no." Iroh replied. "That ended a while ago." Katara looked at him skeptically. Iroh laughed. "Well, it's more like I'm not the type for arguing about things like these in a small house. I just sneaked out to find Zuko. It has been too long."_

_Katara nodded. "Third floor lounge. He's with Sokka and Toph."_

_As Iroh started to enter the hospital, Katara blurted out "Well actually I was sorta wishing that you'd help me with a certain issue."_

_Iroh looked back at her, evaluating her. He stepped back from the door towards the waterbender. He had a smile on his face. "Ok. Make it quick. Before they find me."_

_Katara looked at the floor. "Well, since the world is sorting itself out, I realized that we all have to separate and go our separate ways." Tears welled up in her eyes. Nonetheless, she continued. "I'm torn up inside. I want to go home and I know everyone else wants and needs to go back to where they belong but I can't help it if…" A sob arose. "I can't help it if I don't want them to go." She looked at Iroh through tear-filled eyes._

_Iroh sighed. "You know, it doesn't have to be like that. It may seem like saying goodbye forever but its not. You're going to meet again in the future. I mean, look at you all." He smiled at her. "The five of you are the most important figures in history. You're all going to meet up again." He hugged the crying girl. "Fate has a way of sorting everything out. If it's meant to be, it'll happen so that you're all happy."_

_Distant shouting arose. Iroh looked over his shoulder. "That'll be the council looking for me. Beg pardon but I need to go speak with my nephew."_

_Katara nodded. "Yeah." She looked at Iroh running into the building. Night had set, the building now held a bluish hue. "Thank you." She said to the Fire Lord as he disappeared from sight. She entered the building again._

_Sokka and Toph accompanied Katara into Aang's room this time. It was dark, the curtains had been set aside and the windows were opened, the light of the moon being the only source of light._

_They found Aang awake, looking at the ceiling with his grey eyes. His hand traveled over his head where once again, hair had grown. Toph pulled Aang into an embrace, crushing him with her strength. "You had us worried there Twinkle Toes." Aang grinned back. "Nice to see you too Toph." His hand traveled over the candles, lighting them._

_Iroh and Zuko joined the crew a short while afterwards. Zuko smiled at finding his friend awake. "Hey Aang." Aang looked back at Zuko, his signature smile on his face._

_Zuko went straight to the point. "You're wanted at the council. They've waited for you before they made any decisions. Should I alert them now?"_

_Aang seemed not to have heard. His eyes were concentrated on the ceiling. Sokka leaned towards him. "Aang, c'mon… It's an honor to be involved in such a big event. All the major leaders, my dad, Master Pakku, the Earth King, Bumi, everyone, is there. They've waited for you until now. The world needs a decision, a leader." _

"_I'm not going to be the leader of the world." _

_Sokka sighed. "Fine. But they still need you for this."_

"_Besides…" Zuko interjected. "You're the Avatar, the man who saved the world. I don't think you have an option in this."_

_Aang's gaze never left the feeling. "Did anyone come in here for the sole purpose of greeting me?" Right on cue, Momo flew through the window and landed on Aang's chest. Aang laughed at being reunited with his furry friend. After playing with Momo for a while, he sighed and said "I'll go tomorrow. But only because I don't seem to have a choice."_

_The tension seemed to pass. The group chatted on until Toph commented that it was getting late. Slowly, one by one, they filed out of the room. Toph went first, followed by Zuko and Iroh. Sokka fell asleep during the middle of the conversation but awoke with a start and went off muttering about a warm bed._

_Katara went over and sat on Aang's bed. Aang shuffled around uncomfortably until she could sit comfortably. He put his hand on hers and started stroking it distractedly. His eyes seemed faraway. "Everything is going to change now, isn't it?" _

"_Yeah"_

_He smiled sadly at her. "I know it was during the middle of the war, but I enjoyed the time we spent together." He realized what he said and blushed slightly. "You know, the time we all spent together."_

_Katara hugged him. "It's not ending this way. We will get back together later on. We have to." There was a strain of hopelessness in her voice. They remained like that, on the bed hugging each other, until Aang said "You know I'm naked right?"_

_Katara gave a little start and got off the bed. "Sorry."_

_Aang smiled slightly and said…

* * *

_

Katara awoke. She didn't bother getting up. She shut her eyes, willing herself to go to sleep, trying to remember what the dream was about. It was something that happened in the past. She shut her eyes with all her might and tried to go back to sleep, back to her dream. It was useless. Sitting up, she looked around. Sokka must have carried her to the cave after she fell asleep. She looked around trying to get an idea of her surroundings. She was lying near the mouth of the cave. The view showed that she was near the top of the mountain. It was night and she could see the forest below rustling with the wind. It was a passage the gaang found during their past flights. It was in all respect, the perfect cove. The entrance to the cave was narrow but inside, it was wide and roomy. The cave went on in the back. After following a passage in the back of the mouth of the cave, the atrium opened up. The ceiling was split, allowing a view of the sky and also allowing a huge flying mammal to enter via sky. It was impossible to find unless you knew where it was or if you just happened to be on a flying thing and happened to be looking straight down. Katara smiled remembering Aang's face at the sight of the cave. She spotted Sokka not far from her, still in all his clothes. He must have collapsed after carrying her up the mountain. Even now she couldn't help but be surprised by her brother's strength at times. Walking outside, she almost bowled over a solitary figure walking up the mountains thin, winding, natural path. "Toph!" she squealed, picking up the figure in her arms. Toph gave out a huge yawn. "If you don't mind, can you carry me up like that to the top of the mountain? I'm tired, can't see a damned thing on this path, and don't feel like walking anymore." Katara smiled, remembering her best friend's personality. She led Toph to the cave, where Toph immediately seemed to relax. "Ah, cold, hard, stone!" She fell on the ground, a smile growing on her face. Katara was struck by how much her friend grew over the course of the past year. Toph seemed to have developed her breasts more, her hair was now let down. She was more womanly in every aspect. She carried herself next to Sokka and soon fell asleep.

Katara smiled and looked up into the sky from her position inside the cave. The moon was almost full. It hung there like a worn out yellow round shield. The view was perfect. Suddenly, a black dot grew on the moon, growing by the second. Katara smiled softly and felt herself go to sleep.

Aang was back.


	2. Many Meetings

I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender, although heaven knows how much I'd like to.

* * *

Aang awoke in the morning with 4 things. Momo, still asleep on his lap, Appa, sleeping in the middle of the wide cavern, an aching back, and a slight befuddlement as to where he was.

He sat up, looking around stupidly. The sun was shining through the hole in the ceiling. It took him a while to realize where he was and what his business was. A year after splitting up, the world wasn't getting any better, so he chose one of their old hideouts to bring the gaang back together.

Aang himself didn't change much. The only noticeable differences were the little crop of hair on his head, his greater height, and the earth bender's uniform he was wearing.

Looking down on what he fell asleep upon, a smile grew on his face. The assortment of goods he got for his friends were in a bundle, and he fell asleep right on it. Quickly looking inside, he made sure that nothing was broken before getting off of Appa's saddle.

Stretching a bit, he walked into the entrance of the hall. Katara was sleeping near the entrance to the cave; Toph was sleeping on the right side of the room from him. Sokka was already up and about, rummaging through the travel sacks for breakfast. Aang walked up to him, Sokka still blissfully unaware of Aang's presence. "Hey."

"FOR THE LOVE OF!" Sokka yelled, shocked at the sudden appearance of his friend. Glancing over to the girls, who didn't wake, he continued on in a lower tone. "Don't scare me like that. I almost killed you!" Grinning broadly, Aang gave Sokka a quick embrace. Sokka pulled away, and muttered "Three second rule, m'kay?" before rummaging through the sacks for food again.

Soon enough, the two guys had a small fire going, a meager breakfast out before them. Sokka commented first, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "So Zuko couldn't make it, huh?"

"You know how it is, he's busy in the palace. 'Specially after the execution of…" Aang shuddered. The council had him Zuko and Iroh outvoted. 7 to 3 in favor of the execution of former firelord Ozai. Then matters with his sister arose. Outraged at the murder of her father, Azula had been stirring up trouble as well; her and her ragtag group had grown into an organization with supporters from all four nations. The opposite of the Order of the White Lotus. Calling themselves the Black Light, they crusaded under the symbol of a black circle with a red cross going through it. Sokka, a member of the Order, had shared a number of clashes with this organization, as did Aang. The organization was swift and deadly, not hesitating to kill anyone who was a potential threat, whether that person was friend or foe.

Sokka shook his head sagely. "It's a sad thing mate. You'd think that after the war everything would get better. Instead of fighting a big easy target, now we have to fight with a bunch of little… snake like thingies. At least the fire nation was easy to predict. The Black Light, you don't know what they'd do." He looked at the burning flames for a while before sighing and plopping down onto the ground. He picked up his sword and starting jabbing the air around him. Aang went on eating his bread, looking at his friend with slightly bemused eyes.

"C'mon Sokka, its not all that bad. Least the damage they're doing is smaller in scale."

To this Sokka agreed. Helping himself to tea and toast, he said through a mouthful of food, "Fo, 'ows 'uki en' tuh koshi urriurs doin?"

"Come again?"

Sokka gulfed down the food with frightening speed. "How's Suki and the Kyoshi warriors doing?

"Renovations of Ba Sing Se, helping the refugees go back home, you know. They like to keep themselves busy." A smile came on Sokka's tan face. Aang continued. "And how are the watertribes doing?"

"You were there. They rebuilt the South Pole, united the wandering tribes and brought unity. Too bad you didn't stay long. You missed seeing me and Katara back there." Aang looked away towards the entrance where Katara was sleeping. He was heavily disappointed at his inability to see Katara as well but duty came first, before himself. Duty prevented him from seeing Katara for a full year. HE never did tell her how he felt about her. He gave out a small "Yeah." before letting himself take another bite into his toast.

"She was really sad for a while, missing you like that." Aang brought his gaze away from Katara and looked at his friend. "You've got no idea how pissed I was at not being able to see her."

"I bet you brought up a pretty little storm huh?" The voice startled the two boys; Toph seemingly materialized out of nowhere and was halfway into her own breakfast. After much coughing and sputtering, Sokka managed to squeak out "You need to not do that. I almost swallowed my tea cup. That makes twice in one day."

"And you guys need to not talk so loudly." She replied uninterestedly. "Woke me from a nice ol' dream I was having. Something about pummeling the snot out of the both of ya. And unless you don't want that dream to become a reality, I suggest that you don't wake me from my sleep anymore."

Aang laughed, none too loudly. "Sorry Toph." Looking at his old teacher, he went on, "Did you do something with your hair?" Toph grinned. "You realized huh? Took the maids a while to get it this way. I don't like anyone touching any part of me without my consent." She blew on her bangs. "But then again, I suppose it's not too bad once you get used to it."

"So, how's life going for you back home?" Sokka interrupted, gesturing out the door. "Your parents giving you any trouble?"

Toph laughed. "Not much they can say Snoozles. Champion and hero of the world, how can you find something to be disappointed in that?"

Sokka smiled at his old nickname. Dusting off any crumbs on his shirt, he walked into the further depths of the cave. "I don't know about you two, but I'm going to see my old furry friend Appa." As Toph got up to follow him, Aang held her with one hand a grin on his face. A moment later the two were rewarded with a deep groan and a loud "BLEARRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHH." Laughing, the two walked into the light filled room where Appa was resting. Sokka, covered in saliva, was wiping the slime off on a nearby wall. Toph gave Appa a warm hug, past misgivings forgotten. Once reunions were made all around, Sokka glanced at the room from which they just came from. "Katara still isn't up yet? Wow."

"It's probably because she was up and about so late last night. She helped me get here." Toph replied casually. "Well, see you guys."

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Where do you think? I've been traveling all last night. I'm taking a bath!" And with that she trudged off into the bathing cavern found next to the one they were staying in. The bath was a big pool, with heat vents near the edge on one side, perfect to take a bath in. It was located in the middle of a low ceiling room, and was at the bottom of a winding downwards slope, providing the best privacy. If anyone were to try and invade, the echoes would alert the bather of his/her presence immediately.

Sokka watched as Toph trundled off, before turning to Aang. "We'd better wake up Katara." Looking at the sky, he continued, "Looks to be around 10 o'clock. She slept on the way here, so se shouldn't be sleeping." Followed by Aang, he wet to wake Katara, only to find her missing. Alarmed, the two boys searched everywhere. Aang ran into the bathing cavern, only to have an enormous rock hurled at his way from a furious Toph. Turning a bend and blushing at what he just did, he yelled, "Katara's missing! Do you know where she is?" Katara's voice came back to him. "I'm right here!" Aang stood still, breathing a sigh of relief yet still having his heart trying to beat its way out of his chest. "Oh. That's alright then!" he yelled. He didn't know what to do. The most beautiful girl in the world was naked, and less than 10 feet from him, yet he couldn't do anything to fall for the temptation. Toph's earthbending gave an answer to his predicament. "YOU'RE STILL HERE!!!" She yelled, and the comment was followed by a number of rocks pelting his way, aimed on his back like a couple of heat seeking missiles. He narrowly avoided them by running out of the bathing cave and into Sokka. "They're O.K." he breathed hastily and staggered into the main cave. Sokka, peering in after Aang, got a rock right onto his nose.

* * *

Toph was working herself into a rage. "What was he thinking, barging into two ladies washing like that!?" Katara only smiled and continued to wash her friends back, a little blush working its way on her features. "He's only hormonal. After all, he is in his teens…"

"Easy for you to say Sugar Queen. But you don't see me walking into a couple of guys bathing, do you?"

Katara shrugged. "Well, it wouldn't do you much good would it?"

Toph splashed some water at Katara, who splashed some back. "You sure you want to do that? Splash water at a water bending master?" Toph shrugged back. "As far as I'm concerned, this cave is made of rock and everyone knows that rock beats water." Katara grinned. This argument was old, reaching far back into the days of the gang. _Which element was the best?_ Instead of answering, she just turned around and said "Your turn to scrub my back." _Just like the good old days…_

After they were done bathing, Katara dried herself off with some simple waterbending. She sent the water all around. Toph, who was drying herself as well, got hit my some of the water and commented, "That method works fine, except it doesn't do your companions much justice." After toweling herself off again, she grinned wickedly and remarked, "Ready to meet your pervy boyfriend?"

Katara gave her a little shove. "He's not my boyfriend and he's not pervy. Just hormonal is all." She stated as she started up the slope. Toph, slinging the towel over her shoulder, followed a moment after with a smirk, stepping on Sokka's unconscious body as she left.


End file.
